UNP Kurunegala District MP Dayasiri Jayasekara speaking to the Daily Mirror online today said that the authorities should have investigated the allegations he made in Parliament on Thursday instead of ordering him out of the house. “During my speech I specifically brought up the thuggery and intimidation that was taking place in Mulleriyawa. I showed them photographs of shootings that happened during the run up to the elections but they ignored all of this and we have lost a political leader today,” he said. Jayasekara was removed from the house on Thursday by parliamentarian A.H.M. Azwer who was at the chair for making inflammatory remarks.

He further went on to add that, “The crux of my speech was that there is no rule of law in this country. Thugs who are close to politicians have with them illegal weapons and this incident was due to the use of these weapons. There are gangs that operate with the ruling party politicians and todays incident showed the danger that these weapons that are used by politicians could bring,” he said.

Jayasekara went on to note that the weapons that were used during the shooting were not legal weapons that were given to the policeman who were with the parliamentarians. “A policeman on duty would never open fire when there is an argument. The reason behind the shooting clearly must have been drunken-ness and thugs who were armed,” he said. He also stated that, “Both Duminda Silva and Bharatha Lakshman are leaders of the people and its sad that they have to go through this predicament, at the end of the day it’s their families who will suffer the most. What we are calling for is the proper implementation of the rule of law. If that happens there is no way an incident of this sort will take place,” he said.

On Thursday October 6, 2011, when Jayasekara was speaking in Parliament about the thuggery in Mulleriyawa, his speech was expunged and he was sent out of the chamber. (HF)